Xerophytacolus, Stiller, Michael, 2012

Stiller, Michael, 2012, New leafhopper genera and species (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) which feed on Velloziaceae from Southern Africa, with a discussion of their trophobiosis, Zootaxa 3509 (1), pp. 35-54 : 44-46

Xerophytacolus gen.n.

Type species: Xerophytacolus tubuverpus sp.n.

( Figs 12–14 , 98–122 )

Gender masculine

Diagnosis. Coloration distinct, with median yellowish longitudinal stripe flanked laterally by solid fuscous marking extending into tegmina with translucent and yellow cells ( Figs 10–13 ). Face fuscous with single, narrow yellow submarginal line ( Figs 8 , 99, 100 ). Head acutely produced, longer than width between eyes. Male pygofer lobe at apex with median process ( Figs 83, 84 , 105, 107, 108 ). Plate generally rectangular, with lateral and medial margins convergent; macrosetae present, apex truncate ( Figs 81 , 106 ).

Etymology. Compound word in Latin, Xerophyta , name of the associated plant; suffix - cola, inhabitant.

Male, female and nymph. Colour. Base color fuscous. Dorsum with yellowish median longitudinal stripe, extending into tegmina to claval suture ( Figs 9, 10, 12–14 ). Face with single, pale yellow transverse submarginal line ( Figs 8 , 99, 100 ). Venter fuscous, with some pale yellow spots or markings. Abdomen with yellowish caudal margin on male sternite 8 and female sternites 4–6. Tegmina with cells fuscous or translucent, costal cells with recurved markings; apical cells brown, light brown and some translucent areas; veins dark brown ( Fig. 11 ). Legs with femur black, tibia pale. Nymph dorsally with longitudinal yellowish median bar, somewhat narrowed at wing base and medially on abdomen; laterally fuscous ( Figs 9, 14 ); abdominal tergites with three pairs of spines; legs pale with femur and tibia with narrow brown bands.

Male, female and nymph. External morphology. Body elongate, vertex acutely angled to face ( Fig. 100 ). Body glabrous. Vertex in dorsal view acutely produced ( Fig. 98 ), face shagreened, dorsally with disc smooth. Pronotum lateral margin carinate. Ocellus marginal, close to eye. Hair-like seta on gena close to lateral frontal suture, close to antennal socket ( Fig. 99 ). Suture between clypeus and clypellus absent or at most weakly developed. Gena very broad, not incised below eye, extended onto dorsum of head and visible behind eye, below lorum not extended beyond clypellus. Tegmina with four apical cells, each of similar size, two anteapical cells (crossvein m-cu2 absent), four recurved veins between costa and outer anteapical cell, some recurved veins arising from outer anteapical cell not attainting costa, with recurved dark markings in basal costal cell not representing veins; claval veins reduced ( Figs 11 , 101 ), with two ( Fig. 77 ) or three ( Fig. 101 ) closed anteapical cells. Hind wing venation complete, with four apical cells, jugal lobe well developed ( Fig. 102 ). Profemur setae of anteroventral row with basal setae short, intercalary setae stout, 2–4 times longer than basal setae, AM1 variable, about as long as or slightly longer than intercalary setae. Metafemur dorsoapical setal formula 2+2+1; PD2 setum pale, about ½ shorter than AD1 and PD1, AD3 pale, as long as AD1 and PD1; metatibial setae on row PV with 3 sections of setae, based on length and thickness: basal third short (? as long as greatest width of tibia), medial third longer (½ as long as greatest width of tibia) and distal third with 5–7 slightly longer and thicker setae (½ as long as greatest width of tibia); all setae on rows AV and PD and AD as long as or much longer than greatest width of tibia; PD and AD interspersed with short, robust setae. Tarsomere 1 more than twice as long as tarsomere 2 or 3, plantar surface with two rows of up to 7 macrosetae, apex with spur with seta laterally and 4 spurs with platellae medially. Tarsomere 2 with 2 platellae medially. Protibia setal formula 1+4, metatibia 4+4.

Male. Internal morphology. Abdominal apodemes, with anterior apodeme, in dorsal view with membranous lobe elongate, about twice long as wide. Tentorium branched symmetrically, Y-shaped, all branches of similar thickness ( Fig. 98 )

Male. Genitalia. Pygofer lobe shallowly bilobate, membranous, apex with process, arising marginally or from inner margin ( Figs 83, 84 , 107, 108 ). Anal tube with phragma attached to dorsal apodeme of aedeagus. Pygofer with narrow anterior apodeme ( Figs 78, 83 , 105, 107 ). Plate rectangular or somewhat converging, apex truncate ( Figs 81 , 106 ), uniseriate macrosetae, marginal at base, medial at apex of row; apex membranous; valve broad. Connective Y-shaped ( Figs 87 , 111 ), articulating with aedeagus ( Figs 86, 87 , 109–111 ). Style with apophysis acute ( Fig. 82 ) or blunt ( Fig. 112 ), preapical lobe acute, medial anterior lobe short, blunt, lateral anterior lobe short. Aedeagal shaft biramous, symmetrical ( Figs 85, 86 , 109, 110 ).

Female. Genitalia. Sternite 7 with posterior margin concave or W-shaped ( Figs 88 , 113 ). Valvula 3 with up to 10 marginal macrosetae ( Figs 89 , 114 ). Valvula 2 apical half serrate, medially slightly narrowed ( Figs 97 , 122 ), fine denticulation on irregular, crescent-shaped ridges ( Figs 94–96 , 119–121 ). Valvula 1 lanceolate ( Figs 90 , 116 ) with fine circular microsculpture apically ( Figs 91, 93 , 115, 117 ) and rectangular basally ( Figs 92 , 118 ).

Relationships. Xerophytacolus is assigned to Opsiini , based on the biramous aedeagal shaft, connective articulated with the aedeagus and the pygofer lobe process. These three features are present in Circulifer Zachvatkin and Opsius Fieber , the latter both with a pygofer process, and in Hishimonus Ishihara and Libengaia Linnavuori but without the pygofer process. Unusual in Xerophytacolus is the sharp margin between the face and vertex, which in most other members of Opsiini is distinctly rounded, but present in Eremophlepsius Zachvatkin from the Palaearctic Region.

Figures

FIGURES 8 – 14. Xerophytacolus gen. n. 8 – 11, Xerophytacolus claviverpus gen. n. & sp. n.; 8, male, face; 9, nymph; 10, male, The Downs, Orrie Baragwanath Pass, South Africa; 11, forewing. 12 – 14, Xerophytacolus tubuverpus gen. n. & sp. n., Faerie Glen, Pretoria; 12, male; 13, female; 14, nymph.

FIGURES 98 – 112. Xerophytacolus tubuverpus gen. n. & sp. n., male. 98, head, dorsal view; 99, face; 100, head, lateral view; 101, tegmina; 102, hind wing; 103, anterior abdominal apodeme, anterior view; 104, posterior abdominal apodeme, anterior view; 105, pygofer, dorsal view; 106, plate and valve, ventral view; 107, pygofer, lateral view; 108, apical pygofer process, medial view; 109, aedeagus, dorsal view; 110, aedeagus, lateral view; 111, connective; 112, style.

FIGURES 113 – 122. Xerophytacolus tubuverpus gen. n. & sp. n., female. 113, sternite 7; 114, valvula, 3; 115 – 118, valvula 1; 115, image of sculpture at apex; 116, image of whole structure; 117, line drawing of sculpture at apex; 118, line drawing of sculpture medially; 119 – 122, valvula 2; 119, line drawing of serration medially; 120, line drawing of serration at apex; 121, image of serration at apex; 122, image of whole structure.

FIGURES 77 – 87. Xerophytacolus claviverpus gen. n. & sp. n., male. 77, tegmina; 78, pygofer, dorsal view; 79, anterior abdominal apodeme, dorsal view; 80, posterior abdominal apodeme, dorsal view; 81, plate and valve, ventral view; 82, style; 83, pygofer, lateral view; 84, process at pygofer lobe apex, lateral view; 85, aedeagus, dorsal view; 86, aedeagus, lateral view; 87, connective.

FIGURES 88 – 97. Xerophytacolus claviverpus gen. n. & sp. n., female. 88, sternite 7; 89, valvula, 3; 90 – 93, valvula 1; 90, whole structure; 91, image of sculpture at apex; 92, line drawing of sculpture medially; 93, line drawing of sculpture at apex; 94 – 97, valvula 2; 94, whole structure; 95, image of serration at apex; 96, line drawing of serration at apex; 97, line drawing of serration medially.